Lautaro Martinez Has Made A Decision On His Future After Being Added To The List Of Players To Replace Mbappe
Written By Onyeka Daniel
It’s no longer a secret that French striker, Kylian Mbappe has decided to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the of this season and the French club have been scrambling around, looking for an adequate replacement to add to the team.
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They reportedly are looking to two Serie A stars as they work to find a replacement for the Real Madrid player. The 25-year-old French star has reportedly informed the club of his decision to leave on a free transfer in the summer, with many expecting him to finally head to the Spanish capital after years of courting.
PSG will save at least €200m in salary payments once Mbappe departs and will also avoid having to pay another €100m or so in loyalty and bonus payments, freeing them up to heavily invest in some replacements in the summer. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, PSG have added another Serie A star to the list.
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Previously, there’s Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Milan’s Rafael Leao, and now, Inter Milan captain, Lautaro Martinez has been added to the list. For Osimhen, the Nigerian striker is destined to leave the Naples club in the summer, as revealed by their president. He has a €130m release clause in his contract and has a relationship with PSG director Luis Campos.
But would need to be convinced as a Premier League move is proving tempting. As for Leao, the Portuguese star has a €170m release clause in his contract valid in July, but Milan could be tempted by an offer in the region of €100-120m. For now, he is a less intriguing idea due to the other options in their squad. Finally, there’s Lautaro. The Argentine star is currently negotiating his new contract with Inter, asking for around €10m net in wages, and the club’s highest offer currently sits at €8m net.
He is valued at around €150m and the Nerazzurri’s financial position means no-one can be considered unsellable. According to Fox Sports Argentina, PSG have contacted the striker’s agent Alejandro Camano. Who also represents PSG right-back and former Inter star Achraf Hakimi. Nevertheless, the source believes that Lautaro has no intention to leave.
He loves life in Milano and is currently negotiating a contract renewal with the club. This is yet another confirmation of the solid bond that Martinez shares with the Nerazzurri. Inter are hoping to keep the striker at Appiano Gentile for as long as possible and see him cement his status as a bona fide club symbol.
For Inter, there is a sense of Déjà vu as they lost Milan Skriniar to the Parisian club on a free transfer in the last summer transfer window. The two clubs had been in negotiations for the Slovakian but couldn’t find an agreement, so the deal was called off. At that time, Inter were confident that they would be able to renew his expiring contract.
But the player instead decided to let his contract expire and move to France 6 months later. While the situation may be similar for Lautaro, Inter is in a better position. For one, the World Cup winner is still contracted to the club until 2025, meaning the club still have plenty of time to reach an agreement over a new contract, or sell him if they can’t.
Another reason is that Lautaro has repeatedly talked about his desire to continue with the team, given his growing importance to the team. Plus, Inter would not allow a mere €2m difference to allow them lose their top scorer and a key component of Simone Inzaghi’s team.
Meanwhile…
Porto coach Sergio Conceicao defended Mehdi Taremi ahead of the striker’s probable free transfer to Inter in the summer, reminding the supporters that he’s an ‘excellent professional’.
The 31-year-old Iranian forward has already reached the terms of an agreement with the Nerazzurri, willing to sign a two-year contract with an option for a third worth around €3m net per season plus add-ons.
Read Also: Mourinho Rates The Derby d’Italia Over The Milan Derby As Inter Look To Reward Inzaghi For Scudetto Success
Inter had planned to carry out Taremi’s medicals this week but postponed things after Porto fans began to show their frustration with the striker, feeling betrayed considering that he’s still contracted to the Portuguese club until the end of June.
He spoke in a recent interview, defending Taremi, asking fans to show respect in his final few months at Porto. “I don’t work at the airport, I don’t know what planes were there… Taremi has a contract until June and respects the club, he’s ahead of Hulk in terms of goals in fewer games.
“We can’t forget the journey he’s made with us. You have to have respect for him because he has respect for us, having returned from the Asian Cup he was available for training and to play in Arouca.
“There is no one who has a stronger feeling towards the club and if I felt that a player was not committed – even if he was called Maradona – he wouldn’t be with me. I don’t pay attention to it because I love Porto, I won’t say anything bad about Porto.
“There are players who worked in an exemplary way until the last day, he is an excellent professional.” This season, the 31-year-old Iranian striker has scored six goals and provided four assists in 25 appearances across all competitions for Porto. At the Asian Cup, he scored three goals across Iran’s run to the semi-finals.
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